DENSITY-INDEPENDENT PARASITISM AMONG HOST PATCHES BY ANAGRUS-DELICATUS (HYMENOPTERA, MYMARIDAE) - EXPERIMENTAL MANIPULATION OF HOSTS

Parasitism by Anagrus delicatus of the eggs of its host, Prokelisia marginata, was examined experimentally in a N Florida salt marsh. Spatially, parasitism by A. delicatus was independent of host density for all experimental trials. Through time, a slight inverse relationship between parasitism rate and density was apparent; higher overall host densities tended to have lower parasitism rates. Parasitoids disperse from host clutches after laying only a small fraction of their eggs; this behaviour appears to play an important role in producing the observed density-independent patterns of parasitism. -from Authors